Dynamics of the inner crust of neutron stars: hydrodynamics, elasticity and collective modes

Abstract

We present calculations of the hydrodynamics of the inner crust of neutron stars, where a superfluid neutron liquid coexists with a lattice of neutron-rich nuclei. The long-wavelength collective oscillations are combinations of phonons in the lattice and phonons in the superfluid neutrons. Velocities of collective modes are calculated from information about effective nucleon-nucleon interactions derived from Lattimer and Swesty's microscopic calculations based on a compressible liquid drop picture of the atomic nuclei and the surrounding neutrons.